Printing plate and base.



No. 666,835. Patented Ian. 29, I90l.

. F. J. WENDELL.

PRINTING PLATE AND BASE. lApplicatian fll ed May 17, 1900.] No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND J. WENDELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PRINTING PLATE AND BASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,835, dated January29, 1901.

Application filed May 17, 1900- To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FERDINAND J .WENDELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of New York city, New York, have invented certainImprovements in Printing Plates and Bases, of which the following is aspecification'.

This invention relates to printing plates and bases, and is for animprovement on the plate and base shown and described in my applicationfor patent filed March 27, 1900, Serial N 0. 10,322. The saidapplication shows a plate and base provided with interlockingtongueand-groove joints along two opposite edges, the base being dividedat the center and beveled at the upper edge of the division to enablethe two portions to be tilted to lock and unlock the plate and basewithout having to draw the plate on or oi the base lengthwise. By thepresent invention the plate remains virtually the same, but the base isnot divided thereby simplifying the construction, and to permit thelocking and unlocking of the plate from above the base I make thetongue-andgroove joints in such form that the plate may first be engagedwith the base at one edge and then moved laterally until the oppositeedge can be dropped into position to be engaged when centered over thebase, but when in this centered position will hold the plate from beingraised vertically from the base.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents separate end views ofa plate and base made according to my present invention. Fig. 2 is anend view of the plate and base, illustrating the manner of putting theplate on the base; and Fig. 3 shows the plate in printing position onthe base and column-rules at each side.

The plate A is provided at each of its opposite side edges with anundercut flange and the base B is provided at each of its upper oppositeedges with a groove, the said flange and said groove forming together adouble tongue-and-groove joint-that' is, each part A and B has a tongue(1 or b, respectively, and a groove ct or b, respectively, at eachlocking edge. I form the tongues b shorter than is necessary to fill thegrooves 01, and the grooves b longer than is necessary to take thetongues athat is, each tongue at or b is shorter than its respectivegroove a or band this lateral play'is so proportioned that when onetongue at is inserted into its groove 1), as shown on the left-hand sideof Fig. 2,

fierial No. 16,966- (No model.)

the tongue a on the opposite side may escape the tongue I) whenthe plateA is dropped, but when the plate is pushed laterally into the position,as shown in Fig. 3, either by hand or by the column-rules O orlocking-up mechanism, the tongues a are both held from upward movementby the tongues 5. Some vertical play between the tongues a and theirgrooves b is necessary to allow the plate A to be tilted, as shown inFig. 2, and preferably this play is formed by beveling the under side ofthe tongues a or the lower walls of the grooves b at W, or both, and thetop side of tongue b, as

shown. By this construction all that is necessary to make up a column ofmatter is to drop the plate or plates upon the base in the manner shownin Fig. 2, for when columnrules 0 are placed at the sides or the partsare locked up in the chase it will be evident that the plate or plateswill seek its or their own center over the base, and as soon as centeredthe tongues and grooves are in such relation that the plate or platesand the base are locked together, as shown in Fig. 3.

A plate of a single line in length is as firmly held as one a columnlong. The changing of a plate can in no way disturb other plates on thesame base, and if it is desired to move a plate or plates up or down thecolumn the joint permits this without lifting the plate.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a printing-plate,with abase therefor, formed in one piece, the said plate and base beingprovided with interlocking tongue-and-groove joints along two oppositeedges, the said joints adapted to hold the plate from upward movementwhen centered on the base, but having sufficient play to allow the platewhile engaged with the base at one edge to be moved laterally until itmay be engaged or disengaged at the other edge.

2. The combination of a plate A having tongue-and-groove joints a, a,with a base B provided with tongues and grooves 19, I), each of saidtongues being shorter than the groove with which it engages, the lowerwalls of the grooves 5 being beveled, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FERDINAND J. WENDELL.

Witnesses:

EDITH SARLES, EDITH J. GEISWOLD.

